Blade mounting device

ABSTRACT

A blade mounting device for the mounting of blades, in particular, for skinning and stripping machines with a blade mount fixing ( 1 ), a blade support ( 3 ), a retaining strip ( 6 ) and a tensioning device ( 8 ) for holding the blade support and retaining strip together is disclosed. A swallow-tail shaped recess ( 17, 18 ) is provided across the total width of the facing surfaces of the blade support and retaining strip. A shaft ( 9 ), centrally mounted in the retaining strip ( 6 ) and eccentrically mounted in the blade mount fixing ( 1 ) serves as tensioning device.

STATE OF THE ART

The invention is a blade-mounting device according to the description,claims, and drawings set out below.

Such blade-mounting devices are used in particular for skinning and slabremoval machines during meat, fish and poultry processing. For theremoval of skin or slab the processing goods are pressed against a bladeand moved in relation to the blade. The blade is clamped between a bladesupport on the one hand and a retaining strip on the other hand. Theblade support is fastened to a blade mount suspension, which is used inthe machine, in particular a skinning and slab removal machine.

In order to hold the blade between the blade support and the retainingstrip and to prevent shifting of the same, the blade support andretaining strip are pressed together. For this purpose bolt connectionsare well-known from the state of the art. These have the disadvantagethat in order to remove the blade or for cleaning of the gaps betweenblade, blade support and retaining strip, the entire blade-mountingdevice needs to be removed from the machine, since the screws areotherwise not accessible. In addition, the repeated opening and closingof the bolt connection leads to wear of the threads. Furthermore, theforce exercised on the blade by the retaining strip is different withdifferent strong tightened screws along the entire length of the blade.

From DE 690 13 138 T2 a knife mounting device is well-known, in whichthe retaining strip with recesses engages in screw heads projecting fromthe surface of the blade support. Blade support and retaining strip arepressed apart by a cam mechanism at the side facing away from the blade.This leads to the fact that blade support and retaining strip arepressed together in the area of the blade. Thus the blade is localized.A bolt connection between blade support and retaining strip is therebyeliminated. It proves to be unfavorable with this device that the forceexercised by the retaining strip on the blade is punctually larger inthe area of the screws than in the remaining areas. In addition thedisadvantage exists that for removing or cleaning the blade and the gapsbetween blade, blade support and retaining strip the entire retainingstrip must be removed from the blade-mounting device and be put down inanother place. It cannot remain at the retaining strip. During placingthe retaining strip on the blade support again the recesses must bealigned with the screw heads. This area however can't be seen whenplacing the retaining strip. If the retaining strip is not put onaccurate, then the edges of the recess can be damaged. This can lead tothe fact that no sufficient forces can be applied when clamping theretaining strip and the blade support for clamping the blade.

THE INVENTION AND ITS ADVANTAGES

In contrast to this, the blade-mounting device according to theinvention with the characteristic features as defined in the claims hasthe advantage that the blade support and the retaining strip engage intoone another over their entire width and are clamped against one another.For this a dove tail-like shoulder is intended in each case in the bladesupport and in the retaining strip. This dove tail-like shoulder runsparallel to the front edges of the blade support and the retainingstrip, resting against the blade. The dovetailed shoulder is intendedbehind the area of the blade support and the retaining strip, againstwhich the blade rests. Therefore the shoulder does not affect theplacing of the blade. The shoulder is formed by a step in the surfacesof the blade support and the retaining strip facing each other. The stepresults from a surface, which is under a vertical angle against the twosurface parts of the blade support and the retaining strip, forming thesteps. The dovetailed shoulders form thereby in each case a wedge.

A shaft serves as tensioning device, which is mounted with its endseccentric at the blade mount suspension and is mounted centered in theretaining strip. For tightening of the blade the dove tail-likeshoulders of the blade support and the retaining strip engage likewedges into one another and are clamped against each other throughrotation of the eccentrically mounted shaft. The surfaces of the bladesupport and the retaining strip slide one on the other while theshoulders engage into one another and are thereby guided accuratelywithout accessory. The rotation provides a movement of the blade supportand the retaining strip relative to each other, which take place exactlyperpendicular to the two shoulders. It is thereby not possible to jam ordamage the shoulders when putting the retaining strip on the bladesupport and when tightening it.

In addition the shaft serves the purpose to lift the retaining strip offthe blade support. The retaining strip does not need to be removedcompletely from the blade-mounting device, but it is only swiveledagainst the blade support. The bearing for the shaft is intended at theside of the retaining strip facing away from the blade. Thus an accurateguidance of the retaining strip relative to the blade support is alsoensured during lifting. Damage of the dovetailed shoulder of the bladeor other parts of the blade-mounting device is thereby prevented. Theblade-mounting device according to the invention is thereby wearresistant. It ensures also during repeated opening and closing of thetensioning device a uniform and strong pressing of the retaining stripagainst the blade support and thus against the blade.

After a favorable embodiment of the invention a lever is intended asoperating device at the shaft. This lever can be operated manually. Arotation of the lever of approx. 180° is sufficient for loosening andtightening the tensioning device. The lever is located in the area of anend of the shaft, so that it is easily accessible for the user. It isalso possible to intend two levers, whereby each of the two levers islocated at an end of the shaft. The two levers can also be connectedthrough a handle.

After a further favorable embodiment of the invention, the shaft ismounted axial adjustable in the blade mount suspension. The bearingexhibits at the retaining strip for the shaft a recess for hanging thelever. Thus several positions of the shaft and the lever are possible.In a first position the lever is hung into the recess of the bearing ofthe retaining strip. If the shaft is now rotated with the help of thelever, then the retaining strip can be lifted off the blade support orlowered on it. If the retaining strip rests on the blade support, thenthe shaft is shifted so far that the lever is no longer engaged in therecess of the bearing of the retaining strip. A following rotation ofthe shaft with the help of the lever leads to clamping the retainingstrip against the blade support.

After a further favorable embodiment of the invention either one stopfor the blade is intended at the blade support, which extends over theentire width of the blade support, or there are several stops intended,which extend in each case only over a section of the blade support.Rails or disks serve for example as stops. For example several rounddisks of the same diameter can be put collinear on the blade support.The stops facilitate the accurate positioning of the blade. The blade ispositioned preferably in such a way that its cutting edge runs parallelto the front edges of the retaining strip and the blade support. Inorder to be able to affect the depth of the cut, the stops are variable.If several round disks are used as stops, then the position of the bladerelative to the blade mount can be changed by using disks of differentdiameters. If rails are used as stop, then the attachment of the borderto the blade mount can make a shifting of the border possible.

Further benefits and favorable embodiments of the invention can be takenfrom the following description, the drawing and the claims.

DRAWING

A design example of a blade-mounting device according to the inventionis represented in the drawing and following described in more detail.Shown are:

FIG. 1 Blade-mounting device in a view from above,

FIG. 2 Cross-section through the blade-mounting device in accordancewith FIG. 1 in the place marked with I,

FIG. 3 Cross-section through the blade-mounting device in accordancewith FIG. 1, in the place marked with II,

FIG. 4 Cross-section through the blade-mounting device in accordancewith FIG. 1, in the place marked with III

FIG. 5 Section of FIG. 4, in the place marked with A,

FIG. 6 Blade support and retaining strip in magnified view.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DESIGN EXAMPLE

In FIGS. 1 to 4 a blade-mounting device is represented in a view fromabove and in various cutting planes. A blade mount suspension 1 exhibitslateral pegs 2, with which the blade-mounting device can be hung up intoa skinning and slab removal machine. A blade support 3 is fastened withscrews 4 to the blade mount suspension 1, as can be seen in FIG. 2. Theblade support cannot be seen in FIG. 1, since it is located at thebottom part of the blade-mounting device. A blade 5 is laid on the bladesupport, which is clamped on the blade support by means of a retainingstrip 6. Disks 7 are intended as stop for the blade, on which the bladewith the side facing away from the cutting edge is laid against. Thedisks are attached by means of a screw to the surface of the bladesupport that is facing the retaining strip. The disks 7 are shown onlydashed in FIG. 1, since they are not observable by the viewer in thisview. They can however be seen in the sectional view in accordance withFIG. 4.

A tensioning device 8 serves for the purpose of tightening the blade 5between the blade support 3 and the retaining strip 6. It consistsessentially of a shaft 9 and a lever 10. The shaft 9 is mountedeccentric in the side parts 13 and 14 of the blade mount suspension 1with the help of its bearing pegs 11. In the bearings 12 of theretaining strip however, the shaft is guided centered. The two bearingpegs 11 of the shaft 9 exhibit a smaller diameter than the remainingshaft. The section of large diameter of the shaft is shorter than thedistance of the two side parts 13 and 14 of the blade mount suspension.This permits a shifting of the shaft in axial direction. Recesses 15 areintended in the bearings 12 of the retaining strip. In a first position,which cannot be seen in FIG. 1, the shaft 9 is axially shifted so far tothe left that the lever 10 for the activation of the shaft engages inthe recess 15. If the shaft 9 is now rotated with the help of the lever,then the retaining strip 6 can be lifted off the blade support 3 andagain lowered on it. This position permits the replacement of the bladeand a cleaning of the gaps. In a second position the shaft 9 is axiallyshifted so far that the lever 10 is no longer engaged in the recess 15.This position is represented in FIG. 1. In this position of the shaftthe retaining strip 6 is lowered on the blade support. If the shaft 9 isnow rotated with the help of the lever 10, then the blade support 3 andthe retaining strip 6 are clamped against each other due to theeccentric mount of the shaft in the side parts 13 and 14 of the blademount suspension. The surfaces of the retaining strip 6 and the bladesupport 3 facing each ether slide on each other.

As can be seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, the blade support 3 and the retainingstrip 6 exhibit in each case a dove tail-like shoulder 17 and 18 at thesurfaces facing each other. The dove tail-like shoulder is formed by astep in the two surfaces, at which the surface 19 respectively 20encloses with the surface portions 21 and 22 respectively 23 and 24 ineach case a vertical angle a. This creates a wedge. This detail isrepresented for clarification in FIG. 6. The blade is located in frontof the two dovetailed shoulders 17 and 18. In the areas of the disks 7serving as stop for the blade the dovetailed shoulders are interrupted.This can be seen in FIG. 4. The representation in FIG. 5 shows that theblade 5 extends with its cutting edge 25 beyond the blade support 3 andthe retaining strip 6.

For the tightening of a blade 5 the retaining strip 6 is raised with thehelp of the lever 10 engaged into the recesses 15 and the blade 5 islaid on the blade support 3 at the disks 7. Subsequently, the retainingstrip 6 is lowered on the blade support 3 with the help of the lever 10still engaged into the recesses 15. Then the shaft 9 is axially shifted,so that the lever 10 does not engage anymore in the recess 15.Subsequently, the shaft is rotated with the help of the lever whichleads due to the eccentric mount of the shaft 9 to the fact that theretaining strip 6 shifts in relation to the blade support 3. The shifttakes place perpendicular to the dovetailed shoulders 17 and 18. In thecase of this shift the surfaces of the blade support 3 and the retainingstrip 6 facing each other slide relatively to each other. Thereby thedovetailed shoulder 18 of the retaining strip engages in the dovetailedshoulder of the blade support like a wedge. This leads to the fact thatthe surfaces of the blade support 3 and the retaining strip 6 facingeach other turned are clamped against each other. The blade is clampedbetween the blade support 3 and the retaining strip 6 by the therebycreated force. The force is equal over the entire width of the bladesupport.

All features represented in the description, the following claims andthe drawing can be relevant for the invention both individually and inarbitrary combination with one another.

REFERENCE SYMBOL LIST

-   1 Blade mount suspension-   2 Peg-   3 Blade support-   4 Screw-   5 Blade-   6 Retaining strip-   7 Disk-   8 Tensioning device-   9 Shaft-   10 Lever-   11 Peg-   12 Bearing in the retaining strip-   13 Side part of the blade mount suspension-   14 Side part of the blade mount suspension-   15 Recess-   16-   17 Dovetailed shoulder of the blade support-   18 Dovetailed shoulder of the retaining strip-   19 Surface of the shoulder of the blade support-   20 Surface of the shoulder of the retaining strip-   21 Area of the surface of the blade support-   22 Area of the surface of the blade support-   23 Area of the surface of the retaining strip-   24 Area of the surface of the retaining strip-   25 Cutting edge

1. Blade-mounting device for the mounting of oblong, flat blades with acutting edge, in particular with a blade mount suspension for theattachment of the blade-mounting device to a further device, inparticular to a slab removal and skinning machine, with a blade supportwhich is attached to the blade mount suspension, the blade rests along aportion of its surface against said blade support, with a retainingstrip for fastening the blade to the blade support, resting partiallyagainst the blade support and partially against the blade, and with atensioning device for clamping the blade support and the retaining striptogether, characterized by the fact, that the blade support exhibits atthe surface facing the retaining strip a first dove tail-like shoulderover its entire width, that the retaining strip exhibits at the surfacefacing the blade support a second dove tail-like shoulder over itsentire width, which engages in the first dove tail-like shoulder like awedge, that as tensioning device a shaft is intended, which is mountedeccentric at the blade mount suspension and is mounted centered in theretaining strip, whereby said shaft can be driven into rotation by anoperating device.
 2. Blade-mounting device according to claim 1,characterized by the fact that a lever is intended as operating deviceat the shaft.
 3. Blade-mounting device according to claim 2,characterized by the fact that the shaft is mounted axial adjustable inthe blade mount suspension, and that the bearing exhibits at theretaining strip for the shaft a recess for hanging the lever. 4.Blade-mounting device according to claim 1, characterized by the factthat a stop for the blade is intended at the blade support. 5.Blade-mounting device according to claim 2, characterized by the factthat a stop for the blade is intended at the blade support. 6.Blade-mounting device according to claim 3, characterized by the factthat a stop for the blade is intended at the blade support.